Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is a Canadian

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

( Cayuga) actor and musician. He is best known for his Independent Spirit Award-nominated roles in '' Powwow Highway'' (1989), ''

Dead Man ''Dead Man'' is a 1995 American acid Western film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Michael Wincott, Lance Henriksen, Gabriel Byrne, Mili A ...

'' (1995) and '' Smoke Signals'' (1998). He briefly reprised his role as Nobody from ''Dead Man'' in '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' (1999). He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the development of

media in Canada and is the founding director of an urban Indian radio network, Aboriginal Voices Radio Network.

Early life and education

Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga Nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy.Gary Farmer Biography
yahoo.com; accessed December 28, 2015. He grew up in the American city of Buffalo where his father worked as a crane operator. His second cousin once removed is fellow actor

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

. Farmer attended

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and

Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

, where he studied photography and film production.

Career

Acting

Farmer's first acting role was in the 1976 play ''On The Rim of a Curse,'' about the

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous people of Canada who lived on the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland. The Beothuk culture formed around 1500 CE. This may have been ...

. His first major television role was on the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

's '' Spirit Bay''. He subsequently played police captain Joe Stonetree on the syndicated TV series ''

Forever Knight ''Forever Knight'' is a Canadian television series about Nick Knight (Forever Knight), Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a police detective in modern-day Toronto, Ontario. Wracked with guilt for centuries of killing others, he seeks ...

'', and Chief Tom in the CBC first nations TV series '' The Rez''. Farmer is best known for his role as spiritual Native American guide ''Nobody'' in ''

''. Farmer reprised the role for a cameo in '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'', also directed by

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...

. Farmer has performed in both the film and television adaptations of

Tony Hillerman Anthony Grove Hillerman (May 27, 1925 – October 26, 2008) was an American author of detective novels and nonfiction works, best known for his mystery novels featuring Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Several of his w ...

's novels. He played "Cowboy" Albert Dashee (Hopi) in the 1991 film '' The Dark Wind'', and Captain Largo (Navajo) in the television adaptations of '' Coyote Waits'' (2003) and '' A Thief of Time'' (2004). He played a supporting character Burt in the 2001 crime thriller ''

The Score The Score may refer to: Films and television * The Score (1978 film), ''The Score'' (1978 film), a 1978 Swedish film, released in Sweden as ''Lyftet'' * The Score (2001 film), ''The Score'' (2001 film), a 2001 crime drama film starring Robert De Ni ...

'' starring Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Ed Norton, Angela Bassett and Paul Soles. Farmer also appeared in two episodes of the popular children's television show '' Big Comfy Couch'' as Wobbly. Farmer played the role of Fagin in '' Twist'', the 2003 independent adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic novel ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', and the role of "Iktome" in the 2003 all Native American cast TV film '' Dreamkeeper'', directed by Steve Barron. He also played Deputy Bob in '' Demon Knight''. Other major roles included Henry Colville, with Kris Kristofferson, in '' Disappearances'' (2006) and Jack in '' Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian'' (2013) by

Arnaud Desplechin Arnaud Desplechin (; born 31 October 1960) is a French film director and screenwriter. In 2016, he won the César Award for Best Director for ''My Golden Days'' (2015). He has also written and directed the films ''The Sentinel (1992 film), The Sen ...

. He recorded the audiobook version of Louise Erdrich's 2012 novel '' The Round House'', winner of the 2012

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, bu ...

. Farmer appeared in season 1 of the Sundance TV series '' The Red Road'' in 2014. In 2020, Farmer had brief appearances in the films '' First Cow'' and '' The Dark Divide''. Farmer appeared as the recurring character Uncle Brownie in the highly-acclaimed FX series '' Reservation Dogs'' from 2021-2023, and as Dan Twelvetrees in the Syfy series ''

Resident Alien In law, an alien is generally any person (including an organization) who is not a citizen or a national of a specific country, although definitions and terminology differ across legal systems. Lexicology The term "alien" is derived from the L ...

''. He was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards for his roles in the movies '' Powwow Highway'', ''

'', and '' Smoke Signals''

Music

He also has a blues band called Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers. The band has released two CDs, ''Love Songs and Other Issues'' in 2007 and ''Lovesick Blues'' in 2009.

Other

Farmer is also a regular supporter of

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

Wambli Sapa Memorial Pow Wow, held a week before the Gathering of Nations Powwow. He makes appearances selling his CD's and occasionally giving speeches. University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) considers Farmer a "very good friend". Farmer received an honorary degree from Fort Lewis College in 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer, Gary 1953 births Living people People from the County of Brant Cayuga people Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors First Nations male actors Male actors from Ontario First Nations male singers Canadian blues singers Six Nations of the Grand River people Wolf Clan of the Iroquois 20th-century First Nations musicians 21st-century First Nations musicians Iroquois actors